»»————-　　————-««

"Seeing Judith burn brought back memories that I hoped I'd never have to experience again," Harry begins slowly. "It...it reminded me of when I watched my mother being burned at the stake for supposedly being a witch." Accalia feels her chest constrict at his words. Her anguish grows as she thinks about how Harry must have felt as he relived seeing his mother burn.

"Harry..." she pauses her actions of stroking his hair, but when he lets out a quiet groan, she goes back to what she was doing. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I really want to, but it hurts every time I think about my family," Harry sighs. He lifts his head to look at Accalia and his heart lurches as he sees how worried she is about him. The fact that he had been so sure that he wanted to hurt her again makes him feel even worse about all of this. He had been hurt that she had left him, and that she truly didn't love him; he had been so sure that going back to his original plan was the right thing, but he wrong. She still cares about him and probably always did.

"Well, we can talk about something else if you'd like," Accalia says, reaching out to touch his cheeks with her fingertips. She revels in how beautiful he is, even when he's experiencing immense emotional pain. It makes him look even younger than he actually is.

"No, I think it's better that I get this over with," Harry murmurs as he pulls away from Accalia. He leans his back against the headboard of the bed and she does the same. She grabs his hand and presses her lips to the back of it, hoping that this action helps make him feel better about the situation. "I don't deserve you," he says very quietly. Accalia hears him but decides not to say anything, assuming that she was not meant to hear his words.

"Maybe we can start with your family," she proposes when she senses that he doesn't know where to start. "What were your Mum and Dad like?"

"They were...flawed beings, but now that I think about it, they were the best parents I could have ever hoped for. My father could be a cold man sometimes, but he made sure that I knew that he loved me. My mother, well, she was a bit of a wanderer in terms of men, but I knew she loved my father and I." Accalia can't help but frown in confusion at this.

"If I'm interpreting your words correctly, how could your mother cheat on your father and still love him?" she asks. Harry remains silent for a few moments and she's suddenly fearful that she's crossed a line. "I-I'm sorry, that came out wrong."

"No, no, I understand," Harry says hastily. "It was only after she was burned that I knew that she loved us. She still came home every night, even when she knew how angry the two of us were with her. She had tried to leave the man she was with for my father...I knew what she was doing, and there was a very long time where I was mad at her. I hated her, even, for nearly tearing the family apart. I barely felt any sympathy for her when I saw the bruises left by the man she fucking. I always thought that she deserved it, and I even told her that, and I'm going to regret that for the rest of my life," he continues as his voice begins to shake with guilt.

"Why is that?"

"It's the last thing I ever told her before she burned," Harry says before tears start running down his cheeks.

»»————-　　————-««

"You're a whore, you know that, right?" Harry snarls as he recoils from his mother's touch. "You fuck another man and then expect us—me to forgive you?"

"Harry dear, please," Ethel pleads as she looks at her furious fifteen year old son. "I'm trying to leave him, you have to believe me."

"Clearly you're not trying hard enough, seeing as you haven't actually left him yet," Harry spits. "Don't touch me," he adds when his mother tries to reach out and place her hand on his shoulder.

"Son, I believe you're being too harsh right now," Darien says. "Your mother—"

"Oh gods, not you too," Harry groans. "You're just as bad as her, you know that right? Why aren't you disciplining her? You have to make sure she knows that you hurt her by hurting her back."

"I will not be laying a hand on your mother, my wife!" Darien says, appalled that his son would even suggest that. "Who have you been talking to that has been saying that it's okay to hit a woman?"

"We're getting off topic here," Harry snaps. "You are being complicit, Father. Mother has been whoring around with some man and she doesn't have the decency to just—"

"You will not speak about her like that, you hear me?" Darien snarls, as he grabs his son's collar. He pushes Harry against the thin wall of their home and glares furiously at him.

"Darien, that's enough!" Ethel says desperately. "Don't hurt our son."

"He fucking deserves it," Darien snaps as he lets go of Harry. "You will not speak to your mother like that, understand?"

"I—"

"There is a lot more that goes into this than your mother's infidelities," Darien interrupts. "I know you've noticed the bruises on your mother. That man is abusing her, and he's been threatening to—"

"Like I care," Harry huffs. "The whore deserves everything that she gets. It's her fault she decided to fuck the bastard in the first place. It's her fault for going back, and its most certainly her fault for why this family has been torn to shreds."

"What did I say about—"

"All of this started after Gemma died," Harry says as he feels his eyes begin to fill with tears. "After her death, neither of you bothered to ask how I was doing. You only comforted each other. Mother was not acting like how one should; she found comfort in another man instead of our family. This is her fault, bruises and all, and I'll be damned if I let you change my mind."

"You didn't let us comfort you Harry," Ethel says sadly. "I—"

"That doesn't mean that you go fuck another man," Harry retorts. "What if that man has a wife? A child? Did you bother to think about that when you decided to fuck him? You can act like you're the better person here, but you're not. You've not only ruined this family, but you've ruined another completely innocent one. You are the epitome of evil and I hate you." He doesn't give either of his parents a chance to respond before he's storming out of his house.

"He'll...he'll come around," Ethel says quietly, her heart breaking.

"When?" Darien asks rhetorically. He knows how stubborn his son is, and how hard it is for him to forgive people who have hurt him. It was never either of his parents' intentions to make him feel this way. They didn't think that he was this deeply hurt, nor did they think that he'd ever talk to Ethel in the way that he had. He used to adore his mother, he'd tell her everything and was willing to go above and beyond to make sure that she was happy.

Now, he wants nothing to do with her. Obviously, the affair she's been having has created a strain on their relationship, but Ethel had hoped that Harry would be able to look past that like Darien had. Her husband was mad at first, but as time passed and he had managed to convince her to end the affair, he forgave her. When she came home with bruises for the first time, Darien was horrified. He hadn't known who the man she was sleeping with was called, and he demanded his name shortly after. When he found out the identity of the man, Darien's horror turned to despair, knowing that the man would never let his wife out of his grasp.

"We need to go find our son before he does anything stupid," Ethel says as she wipes a stray tear off her face. "I know he hates me right now, but I know that it won't last. We have to remember that he's just a boy. He doesn't know what he's saying."

"He's fifteen," Darien scoffs. "He's an adult, he knows exactly what he's saying and doing."

"Even so, we need to fix our relationship with our son before it's too late," Ethel sighs. "Lets go." The two spend the next few hours searching for their son in the village, but their efforts are in vain. They don't end up finding him, and are oblivious to the looks the villagers give them, especially Ethel. They're too focused on trying to find their angry son and are despondent as they return home. They leave out a bowl of soup for Harry in case he comes back, but neither of them are optimistic. Ethel is somewhat cheered in the morning however, because she sees that the soup has been eaten. There's no sign of Harry, but she's grateful that he's had some food at least.

The home where she lives is on the outskirts of the village, so things are typically quiet. Today however, the typical sounds of birds singing have been replaced with the low murmurs of a crowd. Ethel is surprised by this and decided to open the front door. Her mouth parts at the scene before her; nearly the entire village is before her. Some of them are holding torches and pitchforks, and as Ethel begins to understand what's happening, she feels the blood drain from her face.

"Morning," she says quietly.

"Grab her!" a voice in the crowd yells.

"What is—what is the meaning of this?" Darien asks as he stumbles out of the small bedroom. His hair is all over the place and he's hastily pulling up his trousers and his eyes widen as he sees his wife being grabbed rather aggressively by people he thought were his friends.

"Grab him as well," an authoritative voice calls. Suddenly, Darien feels himself being grabbed and dragged out of his home. Panic rushes through him and he silently prays that Harry doesn't come home. He's confident that his son would get the same treatment he's receiving right now.

"Ethel, what's—" Before Darien can finish his question, a piece of cloth is being tied around his head and mouth. He can hear his wife screaming for help and when he begins to hear chants like 'burn them all', he understands. His wife has been accused of being a witch and odds are, she's going to be burned at the stake without any sort of trial or justice.

»»————-　　————-««

When Darien is able to see again, his heart sinks. He's standing on a raised platform and when he looks up, he sees a noose. He glances around and amongst the crowd and sucks in a breath when he sees a wide eyed Harry starting up at him. He had the good sense to cover his head with a hood; no one in the crowd knows that he's there. Harry's heart is beating wildly against his chest as he stares up at his father, wondering what the hell is going on. He wants to step forward and speak up in his defense, but something's stopping him.

Perhaps it's the look his father is giving him. There's profound sadness in his eyes and his expression clearly says that he needs to remain hidden. Harry, while not taking his eyes off father, takes several steps back. He manages to make it to the tree line and he hides behind the trunk as he watches the scene unfold. A man in a dark hood comes up onto the raised platform and clears his throat.

"Darien Styles has been found guilty in the eyes of God as well as the people of Starling Village for knowingly living with the witch, Ethel Styles." The crowd begins to jeer menacingly at Darien and Harry feels his eyes begin to water.

"Father..." he says under his breath.

"Do I not get to defend myself?" Darien asks boldly. Even though he knows that he's going to die regardless of what happens, he'd rather go out showing defiance instead of cowering in fear. The crowd boos at his words and he sighs quietly as he searches for his son again. He can tell that Harry wants to come forward and do something and he silently prays that he won't do anything. He wants his son to survive this; if he's found, there's no doubt that the villagers will kill him too.

"You are an accomplice for hiding the witch, you do not get to defend yourself!" someone in the crowd screams.

"Filth!"

"Dirt!"

The executioner allows the crowd to scream out a few more insults before he begins to read out more of Darien's sentence. Harry can tell that his father is about to be hanged and he doesn't want to watch, but he forces himself to watch. Tears begin to run down his eyes as he watches his father's body flail in the air. He doesn't die immediately and he knows that this was done on purpose. The people wanted to make his father suffer. It takes several minutes for Darien to die, and by the time it happens, his face is purple and Harry feels numb. The crowd cheers loudly and he finally looks away when they take the body down and begin to beat it. He lets out a quiet sob and sinks to the ground.

A few minutes later, Harry notices that the crowd is beginning to head over to the large park. He knows what they're most likely going to watch. He doesn't want to see his mother burn, but he knows he has to; he owes it to his parents since he ended their very last conversation on such a bad note. Harry climbing up into a tree that's on the edge of the park and he has to cover his mouth to stifle the sobs when he sees his mother tied to a large pile of sticks and logs. He can see how tired she is and that there are even more bruises on her body.

Like Darien, Ethel manages to find her son in the crowd. She knew that if he were to show up, he'd most likely be in one of the trees because he used to enjoy climbing them when he was much younger. She can see just how distraught she is and she wishes that she could comfort him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. She's not mad at him for what he said to her, she knows that he was only hurt by everything that was happening. Sure, he was mad at her, but she's adamant that he would have forgiven her.

"I'm sorry," Harry mouths to his mother. The distance is too far for Ethel to tell what he was trying to say, but she has a good idea of what it was. The same executioner that sentenced Darien to death comes up to the large pile of sticks and logs and begins to read out her sentence, but she doesn't pay him any attention. She keeps her eyes on her son, trying to convey that she's not upset with him and that she loves him very much, despite everything he said to her.

Even as she feels the heat from the flames, she doesn't feel anything but love for her son. When the pain begins to set in, she starts screaming, but while she does this she is able to say 'I forgive you, I love you, I forgive you'. Harry watches as his mother dies a very painful death and he feels an immense anger towards not only the villagers, but the man who was obviously the one who accused his mother of being a witch.

As Harry climbs down from the tree, he makes a promise to make sure to kill the man as well as his family for what he did. He doesn't know who the man was exactly, and that's something he's determined to find out. No one that cruel should be allowed to live; he is going to ruin his family and make sure they get the same treatment his mother and father did.

»»————-　　————-««

"I've been working towards trying to figure out how to exact my revenge on the family that sentenced my innocent parents to death," Harry explains. "It's been hard though; there's been something holding me back, and I can't quite figure out what it is."

"Want to know what I think?"Accalia asks as she cups Harry's face with her hands. She's since climbed onto his lap and straddles his legs. He gives her a look that's prompting her to continue. "I think that deep down, you're not sure if you're trying to exact revenge to make things right with your parents, or to stop the guilt you feel for what you last said to them. Or perhaps you're afraid that once you kill the family, you won't have a purpose in life anymore."

"Well—" Harry begins. He's about to point out that the family he wants to ruin his hers, but he manages to stop himself. He had made sure to not mention that his mother had been laying with her father, and that it was her family's fault that everything happened. He didn't think it was important to tell her, especially when he wants spare her from death.

"I sound foolish, I know," Accalia sighs. "I just wish I knew who it was that falsely accused your mother of being a witch. I'd have them hang for their crimes."

"But-"

"It's not fair, what happened to you. It's heartbreaking because you never got to tell your parents that you weren't really mad," Accalia continues as she feels her anger rise. The injustice of what happened hurts her deeply. "People like that don't deserve to live. I want to help you bring them to justice."

"It's not that easy, Darling," Harry says sadly. "There's more to it all, and...and I might just let this go."

"What? Why?" Accalia is frowning now as she looks at him. Harry sighs quietly and moves his head up to briefly kiss her.

"I've decided to reevaluate the situation. My priorities have changed, and I'm not willing to ruin that to get what I want."

»»————-　　————-««

a/n: I really wanted to get this out because I have a few things I want to ask all of you.

• Do you want Harry and Accalia to get married? This is not a spoiler of any kind. I have a plan for how of this ends and if I have them become husband/wife, it'll only add a side plot. It's not necessary, which is why I wanted to ask you all and see what you think.

• How do you think this story will end?

Thank you so much for reading this story! We're nearly to the end, but again, I may have to add another chapter to add what I want. Anyways, have a good week y'all.